Electrical connectors of this type, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,722 have an opening running from the side wall of the connector housing through contact cavities and a locking device retaining the contacts in the contact cavities. The locking device is made in the form of a frame and is inserted into this opening. Such connectors are equipped with latching elements preventing the locking device from slipping out of the opening. The latching elements may be either on the locking device or on the connector housing.
In the connectors previously described, latching elements are provided in the back lower end of the locking device which trip in the fully locked position. At the left and right ends of the locking device, latching elements for temporary locking are provided. However, since this locking device is of a considerable length, there is a possibility that it will experience plastic deformation in the connector housing. Therefore, the locking device cannot be used again if the connector is replaced. In order to be able to reuse the locking device, it must have sufficient elasticity.
In Japanese Patent Publication 91-9276, a connector having latching elements with sufficient elasticity is described. In this connector, latching elements are provided on the side of the connector housing; they have sufficient flexibility and extend in the direction of the height of the locking device. However, in the connectors with this type of latching elements, it is necessary to sacrifice a part of contact cavities in order to achieve sufficient latching element flexibility thereby resulting in a lower contact density. This imposes limitations on the freedom of design of the connectors having a certain number of contacts or on the elasticity of the locking device.